Expositio in Proverbia

 the things that have fallen, that is, from the pretext of Uriah. How then does Solomon say before: “He who rejoices 17.165 at another's destruction wi

 would have difficulty, just as the desire for money a pure mind draws near to wisdom since it knows well but the impure will be far from it. Adam i

 but here, that he names the mind a good gift, on account of the one who unjustly receives gifts in his bosom, and is not prospered for those unjust g

 of virtue And this persuades me, in a small way, that the rich man being judged in Hades for his wickedness was not completely given over to every ev

 to you, You shall not be angry. It must be noted here that he calls the natural harmonious movement of the ant, wisdom for indeed one wiser than a wi

 for he was the lamp that was burning and shining a light, the New Testament For I, he says, am the light of the world a refutation of evil things,

 of the kemphos fish in the sea, flying in schools here and there which the sailors, having baited a many-hooked line, catch and not only does it not

 come to the introductions but when they become wise, and are strengthened, reprove them. And Christ, when his disciples were still young, did not rep

 of the evil one. But the impious who sin will not only fall from the kingdom, but they will inhabit the fire and not the earth. Instead of, he is full

 be not silent to me, says David, and I will be like those who go down into the pit. A lawless man will be passed over in silence by God, that is, he w

 sinning. Here he calls the senses ways but he who guards them, keeps his own soul from death unto life for life is the Holy Trinity that gives life

 afflicted, distressed? And how will the unbeliever not have an obol, when many unbelievers are clothed with much wealth, I mean kings and rulers of th

 the love of God for humanity which also brings us to God the Father himself, as sons weaned, and desiring spiritual solid food so that just as his S

 your eyes, say: for many, even without having begun virtue, not only advise others to act rightly, but also compel and exhort them. Here he says man

 body is profitable to the foolish man for he will trample it underfoot, being a pleasure-loving pig and by sensible luxury his flesh will be moved t

 that is, to imitate the virtues of the righteous and prophets who shone in the six ages before the coming of Christ, who also feed the widow and orpha

 of the Lord, is the knowledge of the Lord, and the light of the Lord is the breath of men, therefore the knowledge of the Lord is the breath of men b

 He calls the mind a horse, which is warred against by the devil, and which wars in return For you will mount, he says, upon your horses and your rid

 he slanders us to God, taking from us the virtues which he has not given us, so also we slander him taking from him the vices which we have not given

 But do not enter into the land of those who have orphaned themselves from God, who possess wickedness as the property of demons, on account of which t

 but vice diminishes virtue, and virtue obviously corrupts vice and this will happen in the age to come, until vice ceases for shall be defiled, in

 earth-born nations, and having strengthened them with virtues in faith in him, Christ the God, and having stored up the heavenly water that which flo

 is, the law given to us by him in righteousness and those who gouge out the eyes of the impious, he called ravens but those who devour him whole, he

 of lands, he keeps his own justly. Cast a precious sardius into a golden earring, and the wisdom of the Lord into a dispassionate and obedient mind to

 defines servants or those under his hand for the rod is a symbol of punishment. From his own feet, etc. Here he calls servants 'feet' and from them

 to the devil who made it, to yield as to a brother, so as to be destroyed with him. -Better is he who is joined to me through true knowledge, than he

 lawless, are the doctrines of demons, which the instructed son does not obey and by son he means the mind but he who restrains his mind from being c

 of blood are the demons, who killed those living in Christ by the shedding of blood but the upright will seek out his soul these are they who wish t

 a soul of abundance for its bodily house. He says that the soul of the diligent man has the Church as a tree of knowledge and a tree of life of knowl

He calls the mind a horse, which is warred against by the devil, and which wars in return; For you will mount, he says, upon your horses; and your riding is salvation; and concerning Paul the Lord says: To bear my name. The virtue signified by its own name, he called a good name; for this is also a good name, which has a good meaning; thus we will not praise the unjust woman called Justice, but the one who possesses justice, even if she is considered injustice; but above silver and gold, is divine wisdom. They meet each other, the rich man by almsgiving purifying his anger and acquiring love; the other, by poverty being taught humility; for He wishes one to be disciplined, and the other to give; so that one may be thankful, and the other merciful. He who has wisdom and the fear of the Lord will inherit life and glory and heavenly wealth; for Noah had all generations; these Abraham had; these also those who were discipled by Peter had. In the age to come, those who have been enriched in everything, in all knowledge and wisdom, will rule over the unclean and those deprived of this wealth; but who are the servants and who are the masters, it is not necessary to make public, because the discourse concerning them is mystical and deeper; and in a word it shows the instability of human life; but also in oligarchies the rich rule over the poor; and in another way those who have knowledge rule over those who do not; and the faithful from the Gentiles lend teaching to those from Israel, to whom they formerly gave commands; and yet formerly they lent to many nations, and ruled over them; but now that the kingdom has been taken from them, the opposite has happened. God loves the man who is cheerful in the commandments, and a giver in alms; as Paul also says: He who shows mercy, with cheerfulness; but the Lord brings the vanity of works to an end through virtue and knowledge. He calls the virtues of the soul the gifts of man, through which, conquering the devil, he presents himself as precious to God, and takes his own soul away from the demons who possessed it. He wishes man to be cast out from the worst condition through spiritual teaching along with the contentiousness he had; and the devil, being a pestilence of the soul, must be driven out; for if he sits in it, through uncleanness he dishonors all right reasonings; for the Apostle also shows the soul to be a council, through which he introduces reasonings that accuse or else defend; For, he says, their thoughts among them either accusing or also defending one another; and where there is accusation and defense, there is also 17.220 a council; but the pestilence also dishonors all as an insolent person; or as one wishing to establish his own things, he dishonorably casts out the things of others; whom you must cast out from the spiritual company; and not only will he himself be cast out, but also the things with him: strifes, contentions, fights, and whatever constitutes a pestilence. The Lord who preserves our souls, He also shepherds us in spiritual knowledge, condescending and saying: I am the good shepherd, whom the lawless one dishonors; but if Christ is king of those who are ruled, and shepherd of the sheep, He will one day be king alone of the sheep, when they have passed to the royal dignity. Our enemy the devil goes about like a lion, seeking whom he may devour; whom the lazy one, fearing, shrinks from the working of virtues; but if a lion in the ways of righteousness seeks to hunt someone, who is the devil; but in the broad ways leading to destruction, with the phalanx of his demons, he himself slays those who obey him. The devil is a deep pit; and he who is hated by the Lord is one who does not attend to himself securely; but Job, not being hated by the Lord, but for the sake of testing, has fallen into the mouth of the lawless one; but he who is hated by the Lord is left in the pit until the end, being a lover of pleasure in the knowledge of sin. Far from the heart of the foolish man is the rod from the root of Jesse, Christ, who will shepherd His people, the new Israel, in the pasture of His own sheep. Just as the devil

Ἵππον λέγει τὸν νοῦν, τὸν πολεμούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ ἀντιπολεμοῦντα· Ἐπιβήσῃ γὰρ, φη σὶν, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους σου· καὶ ἡ ἱππασία σου, σωτηρία· καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Παύλου ὁ Κύριος· Τοῦ βα στάσαι τὸ ὄνομά μου, φησί. Τὴν σημαινομένην ἀρετὴν ὑπὸ οἰκείου ὀνόματος, ὄνομα εἶπε καλόν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι καὶ καλὸν τὸ ὄνο μα, ὅπερ ἔχει τὸ σημαινόμενον ἀγαθόν· οὕτως οὐδὲ τὴν ἄδικον γυναῖκα ∆ικαιοσύνην καλουμένην ἐπαινέ σομεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἔχουσαν τὴν δικαιοσύνην, κἂν ἀδικία νομίζηται· ὑπὲρ δὲ ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον, σοφία θεϊκή. Συναντῶσιν ἀλλήλοις, ὁ μὲν πλούσιος διὰ τῶν ἐλεη μοσυνῶν καθαιρῶν τὸν θυμὸν, καὶ κτώμενος τὴν ἀγάπην· ὁ δὲ, διὰ τῆς πενίας τὸ ταπεινοφρονεῖν δι δασκόμενος· τὸν μὲν γὰρ, θέλει παιδεύεσθαι· τὸν δὲ, μεταδιδόναι· ὥστε τὸν μὲν εὐχάριστον εἶναι, τὸν δὲ ἐλεήμονα. Ζωὴν καὶ δόξαν καὶ πλοῦτον οὐράνιον κληρονομή σει ὁ σοφίαν καὶ φόβον Κυρίου ἔχων· πάσας γὰρ τὰς γενέσεις ἔσχε Νῶε· ταύτας Ἀβραάμ· ταύτας καὶ οἱ παρὰ Πέτρου μαθητευθέντες. Ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ μέλλοντι οἱ ἐν παντὶ πλουτισθέν τες, ἐν πάσῃ γνώσει καὶ σοφίᾳ, ἄρξουσι τῶν ἀκα θάρτων καὶ ἐστερημένων τούτου τοῦ πλούτου· τίνες δὲ οἱ οἰκέται καὶ τίνες οἱ δεσπόται, οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον δημοσιεύειν, διὰ τὸ εἶναι τὸν περὶ αὐτῶν λόγον μυ στικὸν καὶ βαθύτερον· καὶ πρὸς ῥητὸν δὲ δείκνυσι τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου βίου τὸ ἄστατον· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὀλιγαρχίαις οἱ πλούσιοι τῶν πτωχῶν ἄρχουσιν· καὶ ἄλλως οἱ γνῶσιν ἔχοντες, τῶν μὴ τοιούτων ἄρχουσιν· καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν πιστοὶ, τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, οἷς ἐκέλευον πρόσθε, διδασκαλίαν δανείζουσι· καίτοι πρότερον ἔθνεσιν ἐδάνειζον ἐκεῖνοι πολλοῖς, καὶ τού των ἦρχον· νῦν δὲ τῆς βασιλείας ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἀρθεί σης, ἔμπαλιν γέγονε. Τὸν ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἱλαρὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ ἐν ἐλεημο σύναις δότην, ἀγαπᾷ ὁ Θεός· καθὼς καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· Ὁ ἐλεῶν, ἐν ἱλαρότητι· τὴν δὲ ματαιότητα τῶν ἔργων διὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ὁ Κύριος καὶ τῆς γνώσεως, συντελεῖ. ∆ῶρα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρετὰς ὀνομά ζει, δι' ὧν νικῶν τὸν διάβολον, τίμιον ἑαυτὸν παρέχει τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀπὸ τῶν κτησαμένων αὐτὴν δαιμόνων. Τῆς χειρίστης ἕξεως τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐκβάλλεσθαι βούλεται διὰ πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας μεθ' ἧς εἶχε φιλονεικίας· καὶ λοιμὸν δὲ τὸν διάβολον ὄντα τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκδιώκεσθαι δεῖ· ἐὰν γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ καθίσῃ, διὰ τῆς ἀκαθαρσίας πάντας τοὺς ὀρθοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀτιμά ζει· συνέδριον γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος δεί κνυσι, δι' ὧν λογισμοὺς κατηγοροῦντας, ἢ καὶ ἀπο λογουμένους εἰσάγει· Μεταξὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀλλήλων τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων ἢ καὶ ἀπολογου μένων· ὅπου δὲ κατηγορία καὶ ἀπολογία, ἐκεῖ καὶ 17.220 συνέδριον· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ λοιμὸς ἀτιμάζει πάντας ὡς ὑβριστής· ἢ ὡς τὰ ἴδια συστῆσαι βουλόμενος, τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀτίμως ἐκβάλλει· ὃν ἔκβαλε ἐκ συστήματος πνευματικοῦ· καὶ οὐ μόνον αὐτὸς ἐκβληθήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ συνόντα αὐτῷ, ἔριδες, φιλονεικίαι, μάχαι, καὶ ὅσα λοιμὸν ἀποτελεῖ. Ὁ διατηρῶν τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν Κύριος, οὗτος καὶ τῆς πνευματικῆς ἡμᾶς γνώσεως ποιμαίνει, συγκατα βαίνων καὶ λέγων· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς, ὃν ἀτιμάζει ὁ παράνομος· εἰ δὲ βασιλεὺς μὲν ἔστι τῶν βασιλευομένων ὁ Χριστὸς, ποιμὴν δὲ ὁ προβάτων, ἔσται ποτὲ μόνος βασιλεὺς τῶν προβάτων, εἰς τὸ βα σιλικὸν μεταβάντων ἀξίωμα. Ὁ ἐχθρὸς ἡμῶν διάβολος ὡς λέων περιέρχεται ζητῶν τίνα καταπίῃ· ὅντινα φοβούμενος ὁ ὀκνηρὸς, πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀναδύεται· εἰ δὲ λέων ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς τῆς δικαιοσύνης ζητεῖ θηρεῦσαί τινα, ὅς ἐστιν ὁ διάβολος· ἐν δὲ ταῖς πλατείαις ταῖς πρὸς τὴν ἀπώλειαν φερούσαις, μετὰ τὴν φάλαγγα τῶν δαιμό νων αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς φονεύει τοὺς αὐτῷ πειθομένους. Βόθρος βαθὺς ὁ διάβολός ἐστιν· ὁ δὲ μισηθεὶς παρὰ Κυρίου, ὁ μὴ ἑαυτῷ προσέχων ἀσφαλῶς· ὁ δὲ Ἰὼβ οὐ μισηθεὶς ὑπὸ Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ δοκιμῆς χάριν εἰς τὸ τοῦ παρανόμου πέπτωκε στόμα· ὁ δὲ μισηθεὶς ὑπὸ Κυρίου, εἰς τέλος καταλιμπάνεται ἐν τῷ βόθρῳ, φι λήδονος ὢν ἐν γνώσει ἁμαρτίας. Μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας τοῦ ἄφρονός ἐστιν ἡ ῥάβδος ἡ ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης Ἰεσσαὶ ὁ Χριστὸς, ὃς ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν νέον Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῇ νομῇ τῶν ἑαυ τοῦ προβάτων. Ὥσπερ ὁ διάβολος